Toner for developing electrostatic image containing higher and lower molecular weight polymer components
An electrophotographic toner composition suitable for heat-fixation and showing good storage characteristics is constituted by polymer components, a colorant and a metal-containing organic compound. The toner composition shows a melt index (at 125.degree. C., 10 kg-load) of 5-25 g/10 min., and the polymer components are characterized by (a) containing substantially no THF (tetrahydrofuran)-insoluble content, (b) including a THF-soluble content thereof providing a GPC (gel permeation chromatography) chromatogram showing i) a main peak in a molecular weight region of 2.times.10.sup.3 -3.times.10.sup.4, and a sub-peak or shoulder in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.5, and ii) an areal percentage of 3-10% in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.6, and (c) including a polymer component (H) in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.5 obtained by polymerization using a polyfunctional polymerization initiator and a monofunctional polymerization initiator.
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Claims
1. A toner composition for developing an electrostatic image, comprising: polymer components, a colorant and a metal-containing organic compound, wherein
- the composition shows a melt index (at 125.degree. C., 10 kg-load) of 5-25 g/10 min., and
- the polymer components are characterized by
- (a) having a THF (tetrahydrofuran)-insoluble content from 0 to 5 wt. %,
- (b) including a THF-soluble content thereof providing a GPC (gel permeation chromatography) chromatogram showing
- i) a main peak in a molecular weight region of 2.times.10.sup.3 -3.times.10.sup.4, and a sub-peak or shoulder in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.5, and
- ii) an areal percentage of 3-10% in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.6, and
- (c) including a polymer component (H) providing the sub-peak or shoulder in the molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.5 obtained by polymerization using a polyfunctional polymerization initiator and a mono-functional polymerization initiator, said polymer component (H) comprising a monomer unit (A) having at least one species of carboxyl group, carboxylic acid salt group or carboxylic anhydride group.
2. A toner composition for developing an electrostatic image, comprising: polymer components, a colorant and a metal-containing organic compound, wherein
- the composition shows a melt index (at 125.degree. C., 10 kg-load) of 5-25 g/10 min., and
- the polymer components are characterized by
- (a) having a THF (tetrahydrofuran)-insoluble content from 0 to 5 wt. %,
- (b) including a THF-soluble content thereof providing a GPC (gel permeation chromatography) chromatogram showing
- i) a main peak in a molecular weight region of 2.times.10.sup.3 -3.times.10.sup.4, and a sub-peak or shoulder in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.5, and
- ii) an areal percentage of 3-10% in a molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.6, and
- (c) including a polymer component (H) providing the sub-peak or shoulder in the molecular weight region of at least 10.sup.5 obtained by polymerization using a polyfunctional polymerization initiator and a mono-functional polymerization initiator, said polymer component (H) comprising a monomer unit (A) having at least one species of carboxyl group, carboxylic acid salt group or carboxylic anhydride group and a crosslinking monomer unit (B) in a ratio satisfying 20<A/B<10,000 by weight.
3. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, which has dynamic visco-elasticities including a dynamic loss modulus (G") and a dynamic loss tangent (tan.delta.) which is a ratio of G" to a dynamic storage modulus (G') at 200.degree. C. and 150.degree. C. satisfying the following conditions:
- 1.ltoreq.tan.delta..sub.150 /tan.delta..sub.200.ltoreq.2,
4. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, which has a THF-insoluble content of at most 3 wt. %.
5. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the polymer components include a low-molecular weight fraction having molecular weights of below 10.sup.5 showing an acid value of at most 3.0.
6. The toner composition according to claim 5, wherein the polymer components include a low-molecular weight fraction having molecular weights of below 10.sup.5 showing an acid value of at most 1.5.
7. The toner composition according to claim 5, wherein the polymer components include a high-molecular weight fraction having molecular weights of at least 10.sup.5 showing an acid value above 3.0.
8. The toner composition according to claim 7, wherein the polymer components include a high-molecular weight fraction having molecular weights of at least 10.sup.5 showing an acid value above 5.0.
9. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the polymer components include a high-molecular weight fraction having molecular weights of at least 10.sup.5 containing 1-20 wt. % of a carboxyl group-containing monomer unit.
10. The toner composition according to claim 9, wherein the polymer components include a high-molecular weight fraction having molecular weights of at least 10.sup.5 containing 3-15 wt. % of a carboxyl group-containing monomer unit.
11. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the polymer components have a glass transition temperature of 50.degree.-70.degree. C.
12. The toner composition according to claim 11, wherein the polymer components have a glass transition temperature of 55.degree.-65.degree. C.
13. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, which has a melt index of 8-20 g/10 min.
14. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the polymer component (H) contains at most 1 wt. % of a crosslinking monomer unit.
15. The toner composition according to claim 14, wherein the polymer component (H) contains 0.001-0.05 wt. % of a crosslinking monomer unit.
16. The toner composition according to claim 1 or claim 2, which further comprises a low-molecular weight wax having a weight-average molecular weight of at most 3.times.10.sup.4.
17. The toner composition according to claim 16, which contains 1-20 wt. parts of the low-molecular weight wax per 100 wt. parts of the polymer components.
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- Patent Abstracts, Japan, vol. 14, No. 245, P-1082 (4188) May 24, 1990, JPA 02-064556.
Type: Grant
Filed: Mar 30, 1994
Date of Patent: Apr 28, 1998
Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo)
Inventors: Manabu Ohno (Funabashi), Hiroyuki Suematsu (Yokohama), Akihiko Nakazawa (Kanagawa-ken), Nobuyuki Okubo (Yokohama), Shunji Suzuki (Tokyo)
Primary Examiner: Christopher D. Rodee
Law Firm: Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
Application Number: 8/220,044
International Classification: G03G 9087;